Bar President outlines successes at national convention

By Lincoln G. Peters 

The President of Liberia National Bar Association (LNBA) Cllr. Sylvester Rennie says under his leadership the Bar has developed a concept note that is currently approved by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) to provide legal aid awareness for pretrial detainees and decongest the Monrovia Central Prison in South Beach community. 

“Let me inform you that the leadership of the LNBA prepared a concept note and took it to the Legal Aid Program of the United Nations Development Program UNDP. This concept note, which is approved by the UNDP is intended to conduct pretrial detainees’ legal aid awareness and decongestion of the Monrovia Central Prison Facility”, Cllr. Rennie says. 

Addressing the Bar annual convention over the weekend in Nimba County, he said the project costs US$121,125.00 and will be implemented in phases. 

He discloses that implementation of the project begins on January 1, 2024, to December 31, 2024, and that of the amount, US$20,000 will be used for pro-bono legal aid awareness, while the balance is for decongestion purposes. 

At the same time, Cllr. Rennie notes that the LNBA Legal Aid Programme remains productive and proactive in five of Liberia’s 15 counties, providing legal aid services.

Cllr. Rennie adds that the legal aid programs in Nimba, Grand Bassa, Bong, Margibi, and Montserrado counties are robust, impacting and contributing to reduction of pretrial detainees and crimes.

“During the year under review, a total of five hundred ninety-one cases were heard by our Legal Aid program. Of the number, five hundred eighty-nine were criminal, while two were civil cases. Of that also, five hundred and seventy-two had to do with male, while twenty-nine was females”, he explains.

Meanwhile, the LNBA between 2022 and 2023, signed a MoU with Carter Center Liberia to provide pro-bono legal aid service in Nimba and Bong, which was implemented, according to Cllr. Rennie. Editing by Jonathan Browne